Fogarty’s field goal avoids a fade out

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Canberra Raiders v Dolphins

An 83rd minute field goal from Jamal Fogarty has seen the Canberra Raiders claim a 31-30 victory over the Dolphins in Wagga Wagga.

Establishing an 18-0 lead inside the opening quarter only to nearly squander the result prior to Fogarty's golden point clincher, the Raiders produced their first win at McDonalds Park since 2019 before a crowd of 10,445 supporters.

Getting off to a perfect start with points in the opening set of the match, co-captain Jarrod Croker (1st minute) slid over for his first try in more than two years following a barnstorming run from returning winger Jordan Rapana in the lead up.

Outpacing the clock by forcing a repeat set following points, Jack Wighton (6th minute) put aside a week of headlines by charging onto a pass from Corey Horsburgh to give the Raiders a 10-0 lead.

Taking advantage of the Dolphins' poor discipline and penchant for errors, the Raiders added a penalty goal midway through the half before Rapana (20th minute) kept the tries coming with a four-pointer out wide.

Facing an imposing deficit for the second week in succession, the Dolphins struck back with Euan Aitken (26th minute) capitalising on retreating defence to get the visitors on the scoreboard.

In a sliding doors moment which saw Canberra prop Emre Guler lose control of the ball over the try line, a break from Jamayne Isaako in the ensuing set allowed Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (30th minute) to narrow the margin to a try.

Having lost their momentum late in the half, the Raiders managed to stabilise and were rewarded with a long-range effort via Sebastian Kris (36th minute) to take a 22-12 lead to the sheds.

The Raiders established a buffer of two converted tries with a penalty goal early in the second half, yet the Dolphins refused to wilt with Kodi Nikorima combining with Connelly Lemuelu (57th minute and 61st minute) twice in a matter of minutes to level the scores at 24-all.

Both teams traded tries during the latter stages with Fogarty (66th minute) pouncing on a spilt bomb before Jesse Bromwich (71st minute) spun over from close range to set up a thrilling finish.

Despite having the better of the opportunities in the final moments of regulation time, the Raiders failed to attempt a field goal until the final play of the game which saw the match head into golden point.

Gaining the field position needed to secure their third win in succession after an error inside the Dolphins' half, a delay in play which saw Ray Stone taken from the field for a head assessment allowed Fogarty the time to nail his first career field goal.

Next week at Magic Round, the Raiders face the Bulldogs on Friday night, while the Dolphins are set to clash with the Sharks on Saturday evening.